


Patience

by FeistyDreams (Altraya)



Series: 30 Days of Makorra [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Babies, Childbirth, F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-13
Updated: 2012-07-13
Packaged: 2017-11-09 21:12:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/458488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Altraya/pseuds/FeistyDreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Patience was not one of Korra's virtues. A 9 month commitment was possibly not one of the best things for her, but in the end, it was all worth it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patience

Patience was never her strong suit. When Korra first found out she was pregnant, she was ecstatic. It had taken more months than she had expected, and she was beginning to get frustrated. It didn't matter to her that Katara had told her many times when she was younger, that Pema had backed up all those words of wisdom, that it might take a few tries before succeeding. She wanted it to happen right away, and she couldn't understand why it wouldn't, even though she knew from her healing classes.

Her enthusiasm didn't last long, however.

When the morning sickness first kicked in, she was less than amused. The ginger tea kept the worst of it at bay, but she still spent her days feeling under the weather. It was just as well that Mako was used to cooking, because there was no way she would have been able to. She couldn't even be in the same room when food was on the stove, the smell made her stomach churn. It felt like forever until those days were over, and she entered what the healers called the honeymoon period.

She wanted to slap whoever called it that.

There was nothing nice about it to her. It didn't help that no one seemed willing to let her do things her way. Mako would constantly hover around her when she tried to exercise, especially now that her stomach was a little softer than it used to be. No one that didn't know her would be able to tell there was a little one growing inside of her, but those closest could tell she carried herself differently, and that the tone of her abdominal muscles was different. Thanks to that change, everyone began doting on her and treating her as though she was helpless.

It was during this period that she was ready for pregnancy to be done with. She knew the ramifications of having the baby early, and that wasn't what she wanted. No, what she wanted was for time to speed up, rather than dragging so slow. It was the longest five months of her life, and still another four to go. She was done with it. Done with the soreness, done with the fatigue, done with being treated like she had some kind of handicap, done with not being able to do everything she wanted, she was done with it all.

She had no idea what she was getting herself into when she and Mako had decided they were ready to start a family. Part of her longed for the days when things weren't at peace, when she couldn't afford to be out of commission for months. She missed knocking heads together and blowing off steam. Now, she wasn't allowed to even spar. No one would go against her, not even without bending. It drove her crazy.

So, she drove Mako crazy, however she could. She had to amuse herself in some way. It started out when she disappeared for a few hours to get some time alone, away from watchful eyes, to do some exercise at long last. When she returned, he was wild with worry and wouldn't let her out of his sight for over a week. She could do without the mother hen-ing from him, but if he was going to have such strong reactions, she might as well take advantage.

That didn't last long.

With just two months to go, she no longer had the energy to mess with him. Her growing stomach threw her balance off, and she didn't feel comfortable doing the exercise that had kept her occupied in all the months prior. All of her muscles were sore, and she wanted nothing more than to soak in a hot tub, but she had been warned against that. Everything she wanted to do, it seemed there was a reason she couldn't. It may have only been months, but it felt like it had been an eternity of being told "No."

Finally, she was within the range of time she could have the child and not have concerns. When she had muttered something about using her water-bending to get things rolling, the response had her jumping back from its force. Pema understood her sentiment, but no one wanted her to try, no one wanted things rushed. When a couple of weeks had passed by the date she was supposed to have the child, she was cursing them all and herself for listening to them.

The first twinges of pain brought forth the excitement she had felt in the beginning. It was happening, she realized, it was finally happening. Reaching across the bed, she had punched her husband's shoulder, grinning at him in the dark when he rolled over. She told him it was starting and he leapt out of bed.

What she forgot, of course, was how long that part would take. The sun was almost setting on the next day when Pema came with the healers to deliver the baby. The long day of gradually increasing pain wore Korra's nerves thin, and she snapped at the smallest things. Mako had decided to just keep his mouth shut, rather than risk starting a fight. If she asked for something, he brought it, if her water ran out, he refilled it, if she looked hot, he wiped her face with a cool cloth and offered her ice, and he did it all with his lips pressed tightly closed.

Knowing what to expect and actually experiencing it were two completely different things. After an hour of pushing when she was told and trying to calm her breathing in between, she was completely done with it. At that point, she was convinced that she would never have another kid, even though she and Mako had discussed having two or three. She couldn't do it, not again.

"It's a girl!" one of the healers exclaimed, holding the wailing child in her arms and holding the girl up for the new parents to see.

It startled Korra when the girl was placed on her stomach, and she stared down at the tiny child with wonder. Though she had been taught much about childbirth in her healing classes, she had never actually been part of one before. Somehow, she completely overlooked the fact that the girl was far from clean right then. The only thing that mattered were the blue eyes gazing up at her in a brief moment of focus before the girl rubbed her face against her mother's stomach and closed her eyes. Mako came over and placed a nervous hand on her tiny back, looking down at his daughter with equal parts astonishment and adoration.

Weakly covering his hand with her own, Korra smiled up at him, oblivious to the bustling of the healers around them. "I guess I finally understand why patience is a good thing."

Chuckling, Mako nodded and leaned down to kiss her cheek, "Yeah. You did a great job, Korra. She's perfect."

"She is, isn't she?" she laughed, leaning her head towards him. "I love you, Mako."

"I love you, too."


End file.
